In order to promote skin care products, many cosmetic companies ask their potential customers questions regarding perception of their skin. Based on the answers to these questions, cosmetic companies are able to better suggest cosmetic and therapeutic products to these people. Examples of such promotions can be found on the Internet WebPages of Neutrogena® (www.neutrogena.com), L'Oreal® (www.lorealparisusa.com), and Lancome® (www.lancome.com). These questions, however, are only based upon the subject's perception of their skin under visible light. Many skin problems, however, are not always visible under such conditions.
Various types of photography have been developed to enhance the visualization of the skin. In visible light photography, or standard photography, the most common arrangement includes a camera and one or more flash units to deliver visible light to the skin by direct illumination, diffuse illumination, or a combination thereof. Angled lighting has also been used to generate a gradient of the illuminating field on the skin in order to enhance the visualization of wrinkles and fine lines. Depending on the direction of the gradient (vertical or horizontal), different sets of wrinkles and fine lines may be visually enhanced.
Polarized light photography has also been developed to selectively enhance either surface or subsurface features of the skin. These results are accomplished by placing a polarizing filter (typically a linear polarizing filter) both in front of the flash unit, and in front of the camera. When the polarizing filters are in the same orientation with each other, surface features of the skin such as scales, wrinkles, fine lines, pores, and hairs are visually enhanced. When the polarizing filters are aligned perpendicular to each other, subsurface features of the skin such as erythema, pigmentation, blood vessels, and hair, are visually enhanced.
Ultraviolet photography, where the flash unit is filtered to produce ultraviolet A light and the camera is filtered so that only visible light enters the lens, has been used to visually enhance the appearance of pigmentation, the bacteria p. acnes, and horns. A variation of ultraviolet photography has been termed the “sun camera” where ultraviolet A light is used to illuminate the skin and an ultraviolet A sensitive film or a digital camera is used to record the reflected ultraviolet light from the skin. In this arrangement, both the pigment distribution and the surface features of the skin are visually enhanced.
In addition to apparatus for enhanced visualization of the skin, i.e., by viewing images captured by photography/videography, there are several other apparatus and methods known for testing various measurable parameters indicative of skin condition/attributes. For example, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is known for use in determining the concentration of skin chromophores, melanin, oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin, porphyrins and bilirubin viz., by observing the absorption spectra. Fluorescence spectroscopy is similarly useful for ascertaining the presence of tryptophan, collagen cross-links, elastin cross-links and keratin. The elasticity of the skin can be measured by an apparatus commercially known as a Reviscometer®. Skin surface hydration can be measured by an apparatus commercially known as a Corneometer® and the conductivity of the skin can be measured by a NovaMeter®. Typically, these known apparatus for measuring skin attributes are provided for use by professionals and are not intended for consumer use.
The present invention provides people with access to one or more of these improved means of viewing and testing their skin, in order to provide them additional insight into the condition of their skin. Such insight allows them to make more informed decisions regarding the purchase of skin care products. In addition, skin care products can be suggested to such potential customers by retailers or professionals based upon such customer's enhanced perception of their skin.